KENNESAW, Ga. (Jan. 19, 2013) – After falling behind by 13 points with 11:32 left in the second half, the Lady Bucs battled back and took the lead, 56-55, with two minutes remaining, en route to a 61-59 victory over the Kennesaw State Owls on Saturday evening inside the Kennesaw State Convocation Center.

With the win, ETSU improves to 4-9 overall and 2-4 in Atlantic Sun play, while Kennesaw State drops to 4-14 overall and 0-6 in league action.

“It’s always great to get a win on the road,” said ETSU head coach Karen Kemp. “We started the game with a lot of intensity and pushed a lead on them. We knew they were probably going to make their run just as we made our run. I felt like this was probably our best defensive game, even though we did have some break downs. We were down by 13 at one point in the second half, but we continued to fight and were able to get the momentum to change in our favor.”

The Lady Bucs got out to a good start, scoring the first six points of the contest and going on an 8-2 run over the first three minutes of the half, largely from points in the paint. ETSU held its largest lead of nine points at the 14:02 mark. Kennesaw State battled back though and took a lead midway through the period and built this advantage up to four points with 5:31 left in the stanza. Over the final four minutes, the teams traded baskets with ties at the three minute and two minute marks. ETSU had a chance to tie the game or take the lead going into the break, but an open court turnover led to an Owl lay-up, pushing the score to 36-32 in favor of KSU.

After starting the first half hot, the Lady Bucs did the polar opposite to start the second period, scoring only six points through the first 10 minutes of the stanza. This cold shooting, coupled with efficient offense from KSU, resulted in the Owls upping their lead throughout the period, reaching its peak with a 13-point lead at the 11:32 mark. ETSU was able to find its rhythm from the offensive end with seven minutes remaining in the contest, cutting the deficit to nine. From this point on, the Blue and Gold went on a 19-8 run, including a lay-in by Brianna McQueen (Jonesboro, Ga.) to take the lead with 2:19 left in the game. The Lady Bucs did not relinquish the lead the rest of the way and held on for a 61-59 victory.

The Lady Bucs were able shoot 40 percent from the field, but shot a disappointing 50 percent from the free-throw line and a poor 21 percent from behind the arc. ETSU was dominant in the paint, outscoring the Owls 44-34 and outrebounded yet another opponent, 47-32. The Blue and Gold also held an edge in second chance points, 24-11.

Meanwhile, KSU shot right around 40 percent from the floor, but also struggled from three-point land, knocking down only 21 percent of their attempts. The Owls also shot 77 percent from the charity stripe and held advantages in points off turnovers (18-11) and bench points (6-4).

The Lady Bucs continue the road trip with a trip to Macon, Ga. to face the Mercer Bears on Monday, Jan. 21, at 2 p.m. inside Hawkins Arena.

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